Sen. Warren Limmer

Maddy summarySF 1988 requires Minnesota state and local government agencies to retain all correspondence (including emails and letters) for a minimum of three years. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes sections 15.17 and 138.17 to explicitly define "correspondence" as part of government records and establish this three-year retention period. This applies to all public entities, such as state departments, counties, cities, and school districts. The change standardizes the retention of government communications to support transparency and accountability, without altering retention rules for other record types.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SF 1883) creates a specific exemption in Minnesota's Human Rights Act for women's athletics. It allows schools, sports organizations, and other entities to limit participation in women's sports teams solely to individuals assigned female at birth based on biological sex, excluding trans-identifying athletes. The exemption defines "sex" as biological sex at birth (including chromosomes and genetics), separate from gender identity, and protects organizations from complaints or penalties if they enforce this policy. It does not affect men's sports teams or allow exclusion of individuals based on gender identity in other contexts.

Maddy summarySF 1987 requires the State Board of Civil Legal Aid to submit annual reports to legislative judiciary committees by January 15 in odd-numbered years. The reports must include data on cases and individuals served by legal aid organizations receiving state funds, broken down by each organization and, where possible, by geographic region. This data must be reported in aggregate form to protect client privacy while providing transparency about how legal aid resources are used. The bill directly affects the State Board of Civil Legal Aid, legal aid organizations receiving funding under Minnesota Statutes § 480.242, and legislative committees overseeing judiciary matters.

Maddy summarySF 1368 prohibits the Minnesota Department of Human Rights from creating or maintaining any database or collection of incidents involving protected speech, such as free speech, assembly, or petitioning activities guaranteed by the U.S. or Minnesota Constitutions. The bill explicitly bans the department from offering rewards for reporting such incidents and removes the ability to collect data on protected speech incidents that were previously allowed under existing law. This amendment to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 363A.06, specifically targets the department's data collection practices without altering its core duties in investigating discrimination. The bill affects only the department's data management related to protected speech, leaving unchanged its responsibilities for addressing discrimination in housing, employment, or public accommodations.

Maddy summarySF 1878 amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 115A.93, subdivision 3, to eliminate a provision that allowed waste collectors to charge residents more for recycling organics (like food scraps and compostable materials) compared to residents who do not recycle these materials. This change removes the financial incentive for residents to avoid organics recycling by making it impossible for waste collectors to impose higher fees on those who recycle. The bill directly affects residential waste collection services across Minnesota, requiring uniform pricing for organics recycling regardless of participation. It shifts the pricing model to prevent differential charges based on recycling behavior for organics.

Maddy summarySF 734 appropriates state funds for supplemental security grants to nonprofit organizations that have already been approved for federal nonprofit security grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bill allows eligible nonprofits to receive up to $75,000 total from both federal and state programs without submitting new applications, using their existing federal grant applications as their state application. Grants are awarded in the same order as the federal program, with the state program funding only after federal recipients are announced. This ensures nonprofits don't face duplicate application processes while preventing total funding from exceeding $75,000 per organization.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies Minnesota's responsibility for handling child maltreatment cases that occur outside the state but involve Minnesota residents. It requires local welfare agencies to conduct assessments or investigations when alleged maltreatment happened in another state or country, provided either the child or alleged perpetrator lives in Minnesota. The bill also updates court procedures to allow appeals for such cases, specifying that appeals must be filed in the county where the involved Minnesota resident lives. This changes how Minnesota agencies address cross-state child welfare concerns without creating new funding or penalties.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases funding for the Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership by reallocating existing fee revenues. Specifically, it raises the amount from divorce court fees (dissolution actions) going to the Partnership from $30 to $60 per fee, and increases the portion from marriage license fees from $25 to $55 per license. These reallocated funds - previously designated for general state funds - will now directly support the Partnership's programs. The Partnership, which focuses on family stability and support services, benefits directly from this policy change in fee distribution.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends an exemption for small employers from Minnesota's Paid Leave Law until January 1, 2028. It specifically exempts employers with 20 or fewer employees (as calculated under existing law) from the law's requirements during this period. The exemption applies to both the definition of "covered employment" and "employee" under the law, meaning these small businesses won't need to provide paid leave to their workers until the exemption ends. This is a temporary delay of the existing law's application, not a permanent change to the law's requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers $1.425 million from the state general fund to a special account that provides low-interest or no-interest loans to Minnesota farmers. The funds support agricultural best management practices - conservation methods farmers use to protect soil and water quality. The transfer applies to fiscal years 2026 and 2027, with a base amount of $1.425 million starting in 2028. This enables farmers to access loans for implementing these conservation practices through an existing state program.